Chlorophyll a self-organization in microheterogeneous surfactant systems

Study on the factors affecting the chlorophyll a (Chl a) organization with neutral, positively and negatively charged surfactants has been performed by using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and circular dichroism. NMR techniques have been employed to investigate the role played in the surfactant reorganization by the state of aggregation of the Chl a host. Micelles and lamellar phases have been used during the investigation, carried out at different surfactant and pigment concentrations. Ionic surfactants in micellar phases always promote the Chl a aggregation. By varying the non-ionic surfactant concentration, it is possible to modulate the amounts of the aggregated and monomeric forms of Chl a. The pigment accelerates the lamellar phase formation and influences the phase organization only above a surfactant concentration of 30%.